


Coming Home

by VoidDragonQueen



Series: Stealing the Thief [6]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Accidental overdose, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Found Family, Hallucinations, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Sleepwalking, Suicidal Thoughts, im giving him an entire family and theres nothing you can do to stop me, implied/referenced cutting, references to necrophilia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-30
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2019-07-04 10:32:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15839430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VoidDragonQueen/pseuds/VoidDragonQueen
Summary: Akechi and his old foster mother talk to each other for the first time in seven years. He can't help but feel nervous about possibly seeing her again after not talking to her for all this time. But he definitely owes her at least one visit on his own, even if they decide they don't want to see each other again afterwards.





	Coming Home

Nara Hamasaki didn't know what came over her. That letter she got had brought memories that she had almost lost to time. She read it again. And again. And again. She wasn't imagining it. The way it was written, the little tails on some of the kanji. It had to be him. Though it never said his name explicitly, there were little hints throughout, very specific details that happened seven years ago in her home that only one other person knew about. She knew. She sat down at her kitchen table when the twins, Yui and Rea, went to bed, and wrote a response. She crumpled up a few pieces of paper before she had worded her response just right. She rummaged around for any empty and blank envelopes, her wife wandering into the kitchen, half-asleep.

“Nara? You still awake, darling?”

“Sanako, do we have any stamps?”

“Um, I can check tomorrow morning.”

“No, I need one now before I forget.”

“Goodness, you’re so worked up. Uh, may I ask why?”

“It might be him and I need to send this letter right away. Please, Nako.”

Sanako grumbled, begrudgingly helping to look for an envelope and stamps. They manage to scrounge up some sad-looking stamps and a relatively aged envelope. Nara sat down at the table again, licking the flap and closing it. She peeled a stamp off and slapped it on.

“Why is this keeping you up so late? You need to sleep for that big upcoming order, don’t you?”

“I just need to get this to him as soon as possible. I’ll explain tomorrow morning after those two go to school.”

Sanako sighed, leading the way back to their little bedroom. She felt Nara lay next to her, settling down. She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Nara snoring next to her, falling asleep herself.

~~~~~~~~

Akira walks into the cafe, Akechi already waiting for him at the counter. He had something in his hands, but he quickly hid it as he approached. He kissed him before sliding behind the counter, putting on his apron.

“Hey babe, what’cha got there?”

“It’s none of your business.”

Akechi moved the item again, and Akira could see it was an envelope.

“What, did you forget to send that?”

“No.”

“She responded? Why haven’t you opened it yet?”

“Hmph, nosy.”

Akechi crossed his arms, annoyed. Akira leaned on the counter, smirking.

“C’mon, open it. Open it! Open it!”

“Kiri...”

He looked away, embarrassed.

“Aren’t you dying to know what she said?”

“Well, yeah, but…”

He adopted that thoughtful little frown, closing his eyes. Akira grabbed his hand, bringing it up to his lips to kiss the back of it.

“Later tonight? I can stay with you while you open it.”

“Um, sure.”

Akira watched him fidget and play with the envelope over the course of his shift. Akechi seemed to dread what could be in it.

~~~~~~~~

Akira pressed against Akechi, leaning his head on his shoulder. They were sitting on his couch, Akechi becoming a bundle of nerves now that he was about to open a piece of otherwise unoffending mail.

“Goro…”

“Okay, I’m opening it, I’m opening it.”

Akechi stuck his fingernail under the flap of the envelope. He lifted it carefully, tearing it slightly, as he freed the letter from its confines. He shifted, Akira whining about how he was suddenly unable to look over his shoulder as he read it. Akechi got up, turning back to face Akira as he read. He felt Akira’s gaze watching him as he read it through. Akechi stared off into space for a moment after he finished, incredulous.

“Well?”

“She wants to meet up with me.”

“Is… is that good?”

“She remembers me.”

His face split into a grin, pouncing onto Akira’s lap.

“She remembers, she remembers!”

Akira planted several little kisses all over his face as he laughed. He pressed their foreheads together, running his hands lazily up and down Akira’s sides.

“So, are you gonna visit her?”

“Of course I am.”

“Do… are you sure you’ll be okay, Goro?”

Akechi hummed as he considered the question, searching for more explanation in Akira’s face.

“Are you asking if you should come with me?”

“Only if you want me to.”

“No. I… need to be alone for this. Maybe next time, Kiri.”

Akira rubbed his back as they sank further into the couch.

“Oh, I need to tell her when.” He mumbled.

“In the morning, babe.”

“Mhm.”

~~~~~~~~

Akechi fiddled with the straps of his backpack as he rode the train. It wasn’t as long of a train ride as Akira’s hometown was, but it was still a pretty long way from Tokyo. He was having a bit of a hard time believing that he was really doing this. He wasn’t sure what to expect, really. He kept imagining the little cottage in that little rural town, all faded brown but speckled with bright flowers in window boxes and garden beds. They should be even more beautiful now that it was summer. At least, that’s the one persistent memory he had clung onto since he left at fifteen. It showed up in his dreams sometimes, and he loved those because they always left him feeling peaceful. At least until his ugly reality set in again.

_It could have changed a lot in the past seven years for all I know._

He rubbed his arms, trying to banish the thought. Luckily, his stop was announced, and he managed to pull enough focus to deboard the train. He slowly took in his surroundings as he walked along, remembering the directions to get there.

_I hope she still recognizes me._

Akechi tread through similar negative thoughts as he got closer to where the house was supposed to be. He sighed in relief that when he got there, it was exactly as he remembered it, though now there was a newer car parked out front. He walked up to the front door, raising a fist to knock but then hesitated for a moment. He took a deep breath to calm himself before knocking on the door. He could hear someone approach, then a pause, and then the door opened to an entirely different woman, lean, angled, and curt black hair.

“Oh, um, does a miss Hamasaki live here?”

“Oh, you must be the boy she got those letters from. Come in.”

Akechi obeyed, standing a few feet away as the woman closed the door. She turned, beckoning him to come with her as she led him into the kitchen. It was still exactly the same as it used to be, but a little more messier and full of more random belongings. She pulled out a chair for him, and Akechi sat down, placing his bag in between his feet and folding his hands on the table.

“Oh, right. I’m Hamasaki Sanako, Nara’s wife. Would you like some tea?”

“Yes, thank you. Nice to meet you.”

Akechi tugs his hair tie out, letting his hair loose. He noticed it was starting to curl up at the ends again, and he silently cursed the summer humidity.

“Nara should be home soon with the girls and groceries. I’m not gonna push you to talk if you don’t want to, since you seem rather nervous.”

Sanako places a tea cup in front of him, and he recognizes it as one of the blue flower ones, her only set that had chips in almost all the cups but one. He sips the tea as she sits down next to him.

“How long have you two been married?”

“Oh, perhaps 5 years now.”

“Huh. Well, congrats.”

“Thanks.”

Akechi stares into the cup, not sure what to say. Sanako seemed very nice, but it wasn’t helping his nerves that Nara wasn’t there. He just wanted this to be over with, and at the same time he was relieved he had some time to prepare himself for her arrival.

~~~~~~~~  
Nara came in the door, the girls running ahead of her and disappearing, her arms full of groceries. She saw Sanako sweep in, relieving her of some of the bags and bringing them into the kitchen. She followed, glancing over at the table and nearly dropping everything on the floor. The boy who sat there, chestnut hair slightly curling up at the tips, garnet eyes searching her face, the way he sat so prim and proper. Of course, now he was more filled out, a ring of discolored skin around his eye her only immediate worry. He looked worried, tensing up as she searched his face.

  
"Goro?" She whispered.

  
"Hi. It's... been a while."

  
He looked guilty, rubbing the back of his neck. Nara quickly placed the bags on the counter before moving over to him, hugging him. She felt him return the hug after a moment, squeezing gently. She pulled away for a moment, still in shock.

  
"It's really you..."

  
"Good to see you."

  
He gave her a shy smile, but she could tell he was anxious by the way he dug his nails into his legs.

  
"Are you staying for dinner?" Her wife asked, gently breaking them out of their quiet stare down.

  
"If... if you'll have me."

  
"Of course we will. You should meet the girls."

“Oh, um-”

“Yui! Rea! Come say hello to our guest!”

Two eleven year old girls burst into the room, smiling at him. Yui gasped, running over to the table, dragging her sister behind her.

“You’re the bird man!”

“Wh… what?”

“Where’s your bird?”

Nara watched Goro search Yui’s face before a lightbulb went off in his head. He dug through the backpack at his feet, pulling out a little stuffed crow stitched up with gold thread. Yui nudged Rea.

“I told you so! But the bird is naked right now.”

Goro snorts.

“I didn’t want his clothes to get dirty on the train.”

He glances over to Rea as she tugs on his sleeve.

“Can I braid your hair?” She asks shyly.

“Oh, sure.”

“Really?!”

“Maybe wait until after dinner.” Nara grinned, tousling their hair.

“But Mom…” They both pouted at her.

“C’mon now. I would hate that you would have to stop in the middle of it.”

They nodded and ran off, the sounds of a muffled argument over the tv remote came from another room. Nara moved to help Sanako put away groceries and pull out vegetables to prepare for dinner.

“Do you need help?” He asked as he started standing up.

“Goro, you’re our guest. Just sit.”

“But I want to help.”

“It gets crowded enough with the two of us. Just sit down.” Sanako insisted.

Nara watched him reluctantly sit back down. He seemed lost in thought as time went on. Rea ran back into the kitchen, suddenly very thoughtful.

“You’re the boy on our mantle!”

“Uh… I am?”

Rea just nods and runs off again, leaving Goro confused. Nara laughs.

“Oh, she does that a lot. You get used to it.”

Dinner was rather eventful, the twins hardly giving Goro any time to eat his food, asking all sorts of questions. Sanako distracts them with asking about friends so he could get a few bites in. They start making small talk as the girls go back to watching tv. Nara comes back to Goro falling silent, Sanako giving her a cup of tea as she sat down again. Seven years later and this boy walks back into her life. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of it yet, but she was just happy to see him in person and not just on the TV. Yet, everything he said rang hollow to her ears, just vacant pleasantries like the kind he would spew in his interviews. There was more warmth and life to them now, but the syrupy undertone diluted them to a whisper.

“Will you stay the night?” Nara asked.

Goro shifted.

“Oh, I feel I would be overstaying my welcome, really.”

“It’s a long way back to Tokyo, and you’d be rushing right now to catch the last train before it leaves.” Sanako added.

Goro opened his mouth to protest, but froze when he saw Nara’s silent plead in her eyes.

“I think I will take you up on your offer. Thank you.” He relented.

Nara watched the girls drag him over to the living room, Rea making him sit on the floor so she could braid his hair from the couch. Yui ran through the house, holding a couple of bottles of nail polish.

“Let me do your nails!”

“Okay. You can do whatever color you want, Miss Expert.”

Yui beamed, sitting down and grabbing his hand, starting a coat of hot pink nail polish. Nara smiled, hearing the genuine happiness in his voice as the girls talked his ear off. After a few minutes, an alarm went off.

“Oh, sorry, I need to get up.”

“But I’m not done.” Rea whined.

“I’ll be right back, I promise.”

Goro stood up, walking to where he left his bag, pulling out a bottle and opening it to pour out a couple of pills. Yui was more persistent, running up to him and bumping his elbow, spilling another pill into his hands.

“We’re not done, Goru.”

“Look, I need to take these right now. I will be right back, I promise.”

Goro closed his hand and walked to the sink with his empty tea cup, filling it with water. He took the pills, swallowing down the water with it, before putting the bottle away and going back to sitting with the girls. He sat there without complaint as they scolded him and continued their respective activities. Nara smiled softly at how well all of them got along.

~~~~~~~

Akechi had gone to sleep soon after the girls were put to bed, suddenly feeling exhausted. He thanked them again, going to the living room to sleep on the couch. His dreams were stranger tonight than they had been recently. He felt like he was moving through cotton, the kitchen a bizarre mixture of red veins and tiles, the sink glowing softly, and the whole room looked like it had been abandoned for years. He stared, slowly making his way to the sink and looked into it. A little bit of soapy foam was on the bottom of it, some dishes left untouched, but otherwise looked unmarred compared to the rest of the kitchen. He felt someone else behind him, watching.

“My goodness, look at you, you filthy creature.”

Shido’s voice. He whipped around to see a winged shape, that damn smile on his face.

“Fuck off, Shido. You’re no better.”

He turned back to the sink, doing his best to ignore the eyes drilling into his back.

“Don’t talk to me like that, you worthless bastard. You have no right to defy me.”

“I told you to fuck off.”

He could hear footsteps, fingertips ghosting over his body and making him shiver.

“Does this feel good? I want you to feel good, you know that’s all I ever wanted.” Joker’s voice, yet slightly hollow.

Akechi huffs, biting back a whine as Joker’s fingers find his thighs, rubbing. His other hand drifted up to his lips, lightly teasing him.

“Leave me alone. You’re dead.”

“I’m not, but he is. You have no problem fucking a corpse, it seems.”

“I also died.”

“And you still don’t know how to live. A shame, really. You would’ve have been so beautiful by my side.”

“Go away, Yaldabaoth.”

“I’m trying to help, but you seem so adamant on being nothing more than a wild animal.”

Joker’s body pulled away, and Akechi blinked for a moment, finding his right forearm over the sink, the cool tip of a knife lightly tracing over his skin.

“You’re so hot when you play with knives, Detective.”

“Goro?”

He didn’t acknowledge the woman’s voice, tracing out the word animal on his arm.

_Just press in, and get it over with._

“Goro!”

He snapped awake as he felt a hand close over his wrist, dropping the knife into the sink. Akechi stared at her, blinking a few times, realizing she was real. Nara cupped his face, worried.

“Goro, are you okay?”

  
"Was it 2 or 3?" He slurred, staring through her.

  
"What?"

  
"2 or 3?"

  
She thinks for a moment, then realizes he means his medicine.

  
"3."

"Ahhaha. No wonder my heart is fast."

  
He wanders off, coming back into the kitchen with his phone, trying to type Takemi's number as the numbers keep switching around on him. He finally gets it, putting it up to his ear.

  
"Its 3 in the morning, Goro."

  
"I took three medicines and my heart is gone."

  
"Oh fuck, where are you right now?"

  
"Kitchen?"

"What? Is there anyone else there with you?"

  
He hands Nara the phone.

  
"It’s for you"

  
"Hi, what's happening?"

  
"How far are you from Yongen-Jaya? Because preferably he needs to get to me before he passes out."

  
"Its an hour drive but I can try to get there faster." She pulled the phone away for a moment, hearing Takemi swear on the other end. "Goro, we need to get in the car."

  
"Yeah, okay."

  
"We're going right now."

  
Akechi stumbles after her, letting her push him into the passenger seat before she got in and drove. He could hear Joker behind him.

  
"All you ever do is cause others worry. You really are nothing more than a vicious animal."

  
"Shut up."

  
Nara glances over at him, concerned.

  
"Not you, him."

  
He could feel the car go faster, glancing behind to see Joker smirking at him before he coughed into his hand. Akechi pulled away to see black and crimson spots, suddenly feeling nauseous. He hasn't seen Joker in 4 years. He wished he would just die. His surroundings were a blur until he could see Takemi's face, shoving something into his hands and telling him to drink. He does so, making a face at the cement-like taste.

  
"When did you take your medicine last?"

  
"Ten."

  
"Don't take your medicine again until at least 11:30 at night today. The activated charcoal should lessen the effects of the overdose but time will cure it."

  
"Mhm."

  
"You’re very lucky that woman brought you here quick enough, Goro."

  
"I know."

  
"Akira is outside as well. He’s gonna look after you for now, okay?"

  
Akechi nodded.

  
"Sit for a little bit until your heart rate goes down. I'll let them know the situation. Just hang tight."

  
Takemi leaves, closing the door behind her, leaving him with Yaldabaoth. Joker hisses something he doesn't quite catch. He ignores it, deciding it wasn’t important.

  
~~~~~~~

  
Akira had rushed to the clinic as soon as he got the call. He bursts into the waiting room, where a woman just stares at him. She was a picture book motherly type, dark brown hair rolling messy down to her shoulders, her features rounded nicely. She was dressed in fuzzy bumble bee shorts and a paint covered oversized t shirt, playing with some car keys in her hands.

  
"Uh, hi?"

  
"Oh, hello. I'm Hamasaki Nara."

  
"Im Kurusu Akira, nice to meet you."

  
"Im assuming you know Goro too."

She rubs the sleep out of her eye and yawns. Akira stifles his own yawn.

  
"He's my boyfriend. Are you his old foster mother?"

  
She smiles sadly.

  
"So he does talk about me."

  
"Yeah, he really missed you."

  
Takemi opens the door, glancing between the two of them as she closes the door behind her.

  
"I gave him some activated charcoal to absorb some of his medicine, but he's not allowed to take more of his medicine until at least 11:30 at night."

  
"Wait, what happened?" Akira asked.

  
"He accidentally overdosed. He's probably having some pretty bad hallucinations right now and I don't think he'll be able to sleep tonight. I’m having him sit for a minute until his pulse returns to a normal speed. He's okay though."

She disappears inside again, leaving the two of them alone for a few more minutes. They both silently stare at each other, both hoping Akechi is okay. Akechi is pushed out into the waiting room, where he watches both of them jump to their feet.

“You okay?”

“Babe there are so many of you, what the fuck.”

“Hey, let’s go. You need to rest.”

“Yeah, okay. Sounds good.”

Akira waves Nara to come with them, throwing an arm around Akechi’s shoulder as they walked back to Leblanc. He leaves her downstairs as he leads Akechi up, seeing Morgana stand up straight as Akira pushes him into bed.

“I’ll be back.”

“Don’t leave me here with him.”

“I’ll be right back, I promise. Mona is here to protect you.”

Akira darts downstairs, seeing Nara hasn’t left yet.

“Ah, his stuff is still at my house. Will it be okay to drop it off here tomorrow?”

“I’ll make sure it gets to him.”

“Thanks. Oh, here.” She hands him Akechi’s phone. “I was gonna put my number in it, but I’m afraid it’s locked.”

“You can give it to me, and I’ll make sure he gets the number.”

Nara shares the number with him.

“Thank you for taking care of him when I couldn’t. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She walks away before Akira can respond. He walks back upstairs to see Akechi part way to the stairs, relaxing when he saw him.

“C’mon, I wanna cuddle.” Akira mumbled, pulling Akechi back to bed.

Morgana gives him a worried look before settling next to Akechi’s head. Akechi is staring straight up at the ceiling as Akira lays his head on his boyfriend’s chest, listening to him breathing.

  
~~~~~~~

“I’m sorry. That’s not a thing that happens very often.” Akechi mumbles into his tea.

Akira stares at him, pressing his cheeks in gently. The bags under his eyes were really dark.

“Doesn’t happen _often_?”

“It’s only happened two other times. I’m fine, really.”

“Goro.”

“We were trying to figure out a proper dosage.”

Akira sighs, Akechi giving him an apologetic glance.

“You’re so calm about it.”

“...I made her worry.”

“We were both worried.”

“Yes, but you always are, Kiri.”

Akira digs out Akechi’s phone from his pocket and slides it over to him.

“Oh, here. She wanted to give you her number, but your phone was locked.”

Akechi carefully punches the number into his contacts list as Akira reads it to him. He puts the phone face down in front of him.

“I’ll be okay. I’ve been through this before.”

“I trust you.”

~~~~~~~~  
It was a lot to take in, really. The fakeness, the reluctance, the overdose. Nara couldn't help but let her thoughts replay all of it in her head as she sewed the batch of dresses, the pattern simple enough to get through without any mistakes or tears in the fabric.

_It's certainly isn't my fault he overdosed. But his boyfriend mentioned that he missed me. So why the false pleasantries?_

That bothered her. It was almost like another TV interview to him, and not him meeting with someone he used to know.

_Maybe he was awkward with the family. He's never met them, and it was just him and me back then anyhow._

She removed the dress from the machine, gently pulling on the stitching to make sure it was secure. She got up and hung the flowy green dress on a hanger, putting it with the others. She had only two more to do, and pushing through it wouldn't be a problem.

_But he looked guilty. And sad. Poor thing._

Nara concentrates on finishing the dresses, hanging them up, and then leaving, locking the door. It was way past closing now, long after Sanako and the twins would have gone to bed. She knew Sanako was waiting up for her though. They had to drive up to give Goro his stuff. Sanako had insisted they go together and that she drives. Getting out of her car, she steps inside, going to double-check that they got all of his belongings. Yui and Rea hug her, breaking her concentration.

“Girls, you're still up?”

“Momma, is he gonna be okay?” Rea asked.

“He's okay, I promise, the doctor said so. He just needs some rest now. But we need to get him his stuff.”

“Is he gonna be our new brother?”

“Uh…”

“Can he? Please?”

“That's not up to me, I'm afraid.”

“Girls, you should get to bed. It's getting late.” Sanako said, gently corralling them towards their room.

“Will he come back?”

“I don't know. We’ll have to wait and see.”

Sanako tucked them into bed as Nara finished packing up his bag. Nara was grateful that Sanako was driving, suddenly feeling exhausted, holding the backpack in her lap.

“You got the dresses done?”

“Yeah. They're picking them up tomorrow, and then it'll just be the final adjustments once they're there.”

“That's good.”

Sanako went quiet so Nara could nap if she wanted to. She just stared out the window, lost in memories.

~~~~~~

_It was quiet, after she told him. Goro stares at her, desperation growing._

_“It has to be a joke, right?”_

_“I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.”_

_Goro looked down, biting his lip. He turned and ran into his room, ignoring her calling after him, slamming the door. She knocked on it, trying to comfort him._

_“Goro? Are you okay?”_

_She heard movement, things falling onto the floor, paper being ripped up, clattering, and then finally a thud._

_“Just leave me to die.” He whispered._

_Nara rips open the door, finding him on the floor, blanket half off the bed, papers, pencils and pens on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling. A few tears rolled down his face, not even turning to look at her._

_“I said leave me to die.”_

_“Goro…”_

_“This is unfair, this is so unfair.”_

_“I know, I'm sorry.”_

_He said nothing, laying perfectly still. Nara left him for now, coming back an hour later to fetch him for dinner._

_“Hey. It's dinnertime.”_

_She opens the door to a curled up form, covered by his blanket. She left, coming back with his plate and leaving it on his desk, closing the door softly._

 

_She did not see him for a day. Halfway through dinner, a knock was at the door. Nara got up, opening it to a man who was a representative of the foster care system. She invited him in, apologizing that she didn't have enough food for him, but offered tea instead. Goro didn't look up, pushing half-eaten food on his plate._  

_“Why hello, Mr. Akechi. How are you doing?_

_No answer. Nara serves the man a cup of tea, sitting down._

_“I heard the news. I'm sorry for you. But I'm sure your new foster home would be happy to have you.”_

_“Fuck. Off.”_

_“Excuse me?”_

_Goro stands up, slamming his hands on the table._

_“You've ruined my fucking life!”_

_He runs away, slamming the door to his room. They hear a muffled thump, making Nara jump. The man scowls, turning to her._

_“My oh my, what a vicious child. No wonder no one wants him.”_

_“Do you always talk like that to children? Have you no sense of sympathy?”_

_“Does it matter? Children like him are more trouble than they're worth. Besides, I bet he only likes you because you look like his real mother.”_

_“You know what? I've think you've overstayed your welcome.” Nara replies coolly._

_“I'm sorry?”_

_“Oh, sorry, was I not clear? Get. The fuck. Out of my house. You horsefucker.”_

_The man stares at her in shock, before giving her a dirty look._

_“Oh, I see where he gets it from. Nasty woman, no wonder you didn't get approved.”_

_“Get out!”_

_Nara makes sure to slam the door behind him. She checks up on him, seeing a hole in the wall and a heavy book on the floor, Goro holding a knife to his wrist. He jumps and drops the knife when he sees her, pushing his back into the wall, crying. Nara sits down next to him, wrapping him in a hug. Neither of them wanted to let go. Neither of them wanted the other to leave._

~~~~~~

“Where the hell did you even get that?!”

Morgana's voice, muffled above them. Akira puts the plate back down, running upstairs, concerned. Akechi was standing there, holding a box cutter, blade open and pointing out.

“Goro, put that down!”

“No.”

Akira's heart picked up in pace as Akechi pointed the cutter at him when he got closer.

“Please give it to me.”

“Why the fuck would I trust you with it, Joker?”

Akira winced, throwing up his hands and backing away. He looked at Morgana, mouthing for a distraction.

“Akechi, I'm right here. I'll protect you from Joker, okay?”

Akechi looks over at Morgana, and Akira took the opportunity to slip back downstairs. Sojiro glanced at him, seeing his worry and moving towards him.

“He's got a box cutter and he's not listening to me.” Akira says quickly, letting Sojiro push past him.

Akira follows him, stopping just below the attic.

“Hey kid. Why don't we put that down? We don't need it right now.”

A pause. Footsteps cross the room to Sojiro.

“Thank you. Now will you please go to bed?”

“I can’t.”

“At least lie down, okay?”

“Okay.”

Sojiro passed him, nodding. Akira crept up the rest of the stairs. Akechi watched him, narrowing his eyes.

“Babe…”

Akechi exhaled, rubbing his eyes. Akira carefully sat on the edge of the bed, trying to not make any sudden moves.

“Sorry.” He mumbled, touching Akira's hand.

Akira held his hand, letting Akechi pet his arm for a while.

“How about some hot chocolate?” Akira suggested.

Akechi nodded, letting Akira pull him downstairs. Akechi sat in the booth as Akira made a hot chocolate, sliding the mug in front of him. Akechi held his hand as he settled into the booth.

“I'm sorry. Sometimes they're really bad.”

“It's okay. I still love you, I promise.”

Akechi leans his head on his shoulder, saying nothing else. Akira brushes his hair with his fingers, seeing Akechi relax. He looked better today, less pale.

~~~~~~

Nara and Sanako come into the cafe, relief on Nara’s face as she sees Goro looking a little better. Nara hands the bag to Goro as he sits up, sitting in the booth with his boyfriend.

_They look so sweet together._

“The girls insisted on dressing your bird up a little before we could come.”

Goro smiles when he pulls out the stuffed bird, tied up with a glittery pink ribbon bow, clutching it to his chest tightly. Akira gets up to introduce himself to Sanako. The man behind the counter leans back as everything gets quiet.

“Thank you. It means a lot to me.”

She sits down across from him, his eyes occasionally darting off around them. Sanako sits next to her, seeing her sudden reluctance. She watches Akira join the man behind the counter, quietly and politely not looking at the three of them directly. Nara is still, staring at Goro as Sanako holds her hand. He opens his mouth, closes it, swallows, and then speaks.  
"You deserve to know the whole truth. About me. About the past few years."  
And she listens as Goro tells her everything about the past 7 years. Of what he's done since then. She doesn't allow herself to react to anything, because it would just make it worse. It would hurt him.  
"...so perhaps I’ve always been a vicious child, but now I’m... better. Or getting there. I didn't mean to overdose on you."  
"Oh, you heard him all those years ago? That asshole."

“Nara!”

“Oh, he’s heard worse from my mouth. Trust me.”

“Oh, I have.” Goro chuckles softly. “Though I still can't believe you called him a horse fucker.”

“Goro, I thought I told you not to repeat me when I say rude things.”

He simply grins for a moment.

“What did that man do?”

“Oh, he deserved much worse than that, trust me.”  
  
There was a long pause between them as they both think of what to say next. It was taking her time to absorb his whole confession, but she understood, looking at the young man in front of her.

“So, we have a lot to talk about.” Nara said, breaking the silence.  
"I don't expect you to forgive me." He started, biting his lip.  
In her heart she knew. She knew he feared being rejected. It was like he was fifteen again, despairing after she shared with him the devastating news she had been given.  
"But I couldn't talk to you after he took me under his wing. I shouldn't have let him do all of that to me, but I did. I wanted revenge on him for abandoning my mother and driving her to suicide. I... gave up on you. I really did give up on you."  
Sanko stilled Nara’s shaking hands. Goro couldn't look at her.  
"I watched you. I wanted to make sure you were doing okay. I kept tabs on you, even though it hurt that you never stayed in touch with me. I didn't expect it would really be you to show up. I guess you were still fifteen to me until I saw you again. You've grown so much, Goro."  
"But not the right way. Did... did it hurt to see me become a monster?"  
Nara teared up a little, and Goro watched her swallow hard.  
"I can't say I didn't see you that way at first. But then I remembered the day we both got the news. That anger was always there, I just didn't want to see it."  
Goro leaned forward, he himself struggling to hold himself together. And now that she could get a better look, she could see the exhaustion he was hiding, the pain, the fear. She cupped her hands over one of his, waiting for him to look her in the eye. He tensed up once he did.  
"I'm sorry. It wasn't you who failed. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I never called, you don't... you didn't deserve that. But I was scared they would hurt you otherwise and I couldn't..."  
He was choking on his words. She brushed away his tears, trying not to cry herself and barely succeeding as she spoke.  
"Goro, my only regret was that I didn't fight harder for you. But you came back home, and that's all that matters."  
"Came back home...?" He was dumbfounded.  
"As long as you'll have us, you will have a home there. It may not be legally official yet, but to me, you're still my child."

“I hardly deserve you after everything I’ve done.” He murmured.

“You deserve a family.”

Goro stares in shock at her words. He swallows hard, trembling.

“...Can I call you Mom, then?”

“As long as I can call you my son.” Nara smiles.

Goro gets up suddenly, wrapping her in a awkward, tight hug across the table.

“Please.”

Nara finally lets the tears fall, filled to the brim with sheer joy. _Her_ son was finally by her side again, after a painful seven long years.

“My son, my darling son. It’s so good to have you by my side again.”

“It’s… good to be back with you.”

“Please get better soon, okay? Call me and come visit as often as you can.”

“I will.”

They said their goodbyes, driving home. 

“I swear, the two of you are full of mischief.” Sanako muttered.

Nara giggles at her, brushing her hair back. She still had a few tears on her face, but she let them be for now.

~~~~~~

The three of them were quiet when the two women left, Akira and Sojiro letting Akechi recollect himself for a few moments.

“Well, that's quite the woman.” Sojiro smiles, shaking his head.

“So, she's the one who taught you how to swear, huh?” Akira teased as he slid back into the booth next to him.

Akechi pinched him, making a face.

“Oh shush. Not like you're much better.”

“I can see why you like her. She's very sweet.”

“Mhm. And now she's my mother.”

“I'm happy for you. Though it sounds like it's gonna be quite a bit of paperwork for legal stuff.”

“Yeah, well, I'm prepared to do it in triplicate if that's what it takes.”

“Nerd.”

“Shut up.”

Akira grins as Akechi kisses the top of his head. Sojiro waves goodbye, leaving the two of them alone in the cafe. Akira locked the door after a few minutes, both of them going to bed.

“Really, though. She's so nice. And so is her wife.”

“Yeah, and they already have two little girls they adopted. Twin sisters. So…”

“Oh my god, you're gonna have an entire family.”

Akechi smiles, burying his face into Akira's neck.

“I know. I'm excited. And a little nervous.”

“What for?”

“Being an older brother. I… I'm not sure I'm ready.”

“You'll figure it out. You'll do fine.”

~~~~~~

“Goru!”

The girls tackled him as soon as he got into the door, Goro laughing and kneeling down to hug them back. Nara smiled, moving around them.

“Hey, you two. Are you being good?”

“Are you?” Yui asked.

“I sure hope so.”

They tug him towards the couch, sitting him down in front of it. Rea climbs up to be taller than him, touching his hair.

“Let me braid!”

“Okay, okay.”

Nara watched as he let his hair loose, Rea getting to work immediately. Yui leaned against him, checking his nail polish.

“Hey, you chipped it!”

“Sorry.”

Yui ran past Nara, coming back with the nail polish bottles again. Goro offered a hand as she opened the polish, focused on repainting his nails.

“You didn't even come for dinner.” Rea scolded him.

“I was busy.”

“You can make time for dinner.”

“It's a long ride here. I wouldn't make it in time.”

Nara sits down next to Rea on the couch, watching the three of them.

“You girls start school tomorrow, so you can't stay up too late.”

“But Momma, he just got here.” Yui pouted.

“I'll be here tomorrow, all day.” Goro said.

“Really?!”

“I'm helping her with dresses while you two are at school.”

“Then you're gonna be on time for dinner!”

He laughs.

“Oh, he will. Don't worry."

Nara and Goro were sitting on the couch after the girls and Sanako went to bed, Goro curled up against her as they watched some late night shows. They both had a long day, the amount of dress orders keeping the shop from stocking much of the sought after fabrics. They got a good amount of the orders done, getting a head start for the next day. Nara was brushing his hair, smiling as they were together how they used to.

  
"Goro, I love you."

  
"I love you too, mom."

Nara kisses his forehead, Goro leaning his head on her shoulder. She was relieved that the two of them could finally be the family they wanted to be all those years ago.

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted to expanded on this little au, especially since Nara was the subject of Envelope. It sure feels nice giving Akechi a family he can bounce off of during the whole healing process. Thank you for reading!


End file.
